Conventional automotive technology has provided an adjustable driver's seat to accommodate drivers of various heights. Typically, seat adjusters can move the seat in various directions including up and down, fore and aft, and/or tilting the seat relative to the vehicle. This allows the driver to move closer to or farther away from vehicle control pedals. Another option used in the automotive industry to accommodate drivers having different heights, is to provide the vehicle with an adjustable steering wheel. The steering wheel is typically adjustable in a longitudinal direction in relation to the vehicle and can usually be adjusted vertically.
Despite the great adjustment possibilities that exist with these two different options, it is not always possible to find an optimal driving position if the mounting of the vehicle control pedals is fixed within the vehicle. A third option is to have vehicle control pedals that are selectively adjustable to accommodate drivers having different heights. One such adjustable pedal assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,871. The adjustable pedal assembly in this patent involves fastening the pedals along threaded shafts, whereby the pedals can be shifted horizontally toward or away from the vehicle driver through rotation of the shafts. This construction is complicated and expensive. Additionally, if the vehicle collides with another object, some of the pedal components in this design may come into contact with the driver, which is undesirable.
For an adjustable pedal assembly to operate well in practice, it is not sufficient that the pedals merely be shiftable toward and away from the driver. In positions where the pedals are far away, i.e., at a long distance from the driver, it is necessary that pedal pads be orientated in a more vertical position than is the case when the pedals are closer to the driver. A shorter driver, who moves the driver's seat closer to the steering wheel and higher up, will maneuver the pedals more from above than is the case with a tall driver who lowers the driver's seat and moves it away from the steering wheel.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an adjustable pedal assembly that includes horizontal adjustment, i.e., adjustment in fore and aft directions with respect to the vehicle, and which includes angular adjustment of the pedal pads so that the pads can be angled upwardly when the pedals are closer to the driver. It is important that this pedal assembly include a drive arrangement for selectively adjusting pedal position that can be easily integrated in the vehicle. It is also desirable for the adjustable pedal assembly to to be designed such that if the vehicle is in a collision, the pedal components will not come into contact with the driver. Finally, the adjustable pedal assembly should be simpler in design and less expensive than prior art pedal assemblies.